 |
| King Goodwill Zwelithini (Picture: AFP) |
Johannesburg - A Nigerian human rights organisation has asked the
International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to investigate a
complaint of hate speech against Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (Serap) also asked ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate the alleged
complicity or negligence of South Africa's police in preventing the
xenophobic attacks that it said resulted from Zwelithini's comments.
In the petition, dated from last
Thursday, the organisation said it "considers the use of speech by the
monarch to promote hatred and/or incite violence against non-nationals
such as Nigerians, particularly in the media as a clear violation of the
provisions of the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court."
Zwelithini reportedly told a gathering in Pongola, northern KwaZulu-Natal in March that "foreigners must pack their bags and go home".
A spate of xenophobic violence erupted in parts of KZN and Gauteng in
April that left at least seven people dead and thousands displaced.
Zwelithini later lambasted the media for "choosing to deliberately
distort what was an innocent outcry against crime and destruction of
property".
No comments:
Post a Comment